Maximum oil production. Solvent extraction is the most efficient way to recover as much oil as possible, leaving less than 1% of residual oil in the diet. For high-volume processors looking to squeeze every drop of profit out of their operations, solvent extraction offers economic advantages at scale. Since solvent extraction is best suited for large plants that process 500 to 1,000 tons or more of soybeans per day, the additional oil recovery quickly adds up compared to mechanical plants that can only process 100 tons per day and leave 6% residual oil.

Maintain product quality. Hexane is a selective reagent, which means it can selectively extract fat from seed material without interfering with other nutrients, fiber, or protein content. This maintains the nutritional status of the diet produced as a by-product of hexane extraction.

Given the ubiquity of hexane (hexane sds) in solvent extraction of the world's most productive oilseed commodity, hexane is critical to an efficient and cost-effective global food chain. But that doesn't mean it's a perfect process

Concerns about hexane extraction

Unfortunately, even after solvents extract oils and meals and process them, they can still contain trace amounts of hexane. In general, these amounts are too low to have any toxic effects, but some government organizations have set limits to maintain safe levels of hexane exposure. For example, the European Union has set a maximum residue limit (MRL) of 1 mg/kg for hexane residues in vegetable oils.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently monitor or regulate hexane residues in food; It only limits the amount of hexane in fish protein isolates (5 parts per million), hop extracts and spice resins (25ppm). The cumulative effects of hexane exposure and consumption, even in trace amounts, are still relatively unknown, raising questions about the long-term effects of hexane on the environment and human health. After all, when inhaled or ingested by humans and animals, it has been identified as an air pollutant, a fire hazard, and a potentially harmful substance.